Telecommunication systems continue to be used in new environments because of the increasing necessity for fast and efficient data access and transfer. Many of those environments subject the telecommunication systems to harsh conditions, such as exposure to water, dust, temperature changes and other foreign materials. Electrical connectors used in these telecommunication systems need to be able to protect the electrical connections from these harsh conditions. Invasion of an electrical connector by foreign matter can destroy the integrity of the electrical connection, thereby rendering the electrical connector and the telecommunication system inoperable. Such an event causes time delays and increased costs in the application in which the electrical connector is being used. Thus, a need exists for an electrical connector that prevents foreign materials from invading the electrical connector and associated components.
Industrial and manufacturing environments commonly use telecommunication systems to increase efficiency. Electrical connectors in such environments are frequently exposed to large amounts of foreign materials that are prevalent in those environments. Dust, water, chemicals and other foreign materials are much more difficult to contain and exist in larger quantities in those environments than in office environments. Therefore, industrial and manufacturing environments require electrical connectors to withstand frequent and large quantities of foreign materials. Furthermore, in industrial and manufacturing applications failure of the telecommunication system due to a damaged electrical connector may result in temporary downtimes, thereby resulting in inefficient industrial and manufacturing applications. Therefore, a need exists for an electrical connector that is protected from the large quantities of potentially damaging foreign materials that are prevalent in certain environments.